lip service

noun

1. insincere expression of friendship, admiration, support, etc.; service by words only:

   He paid only lip service to the dictator.

lip service

noun

1. insincere support or respect expressed but not put into practice

lip service

1. Insincere agreement; to “pay lip service” is to consent in one's words while dissenting in one's heart: “The boss's support of affirmative action was merely paying lip service; he never committed himself to it in any substantial way.”

Other Words From

• lip server noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lip service¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Idioms and Phrases

Verbal but insincere expression of agreement or support. It is often put as pay or give lip service , as in They paid lip service to holding an election next year, but they had no intention of doing so . [Mid-1600s]